"I know you do." It was obvious, wasn't? Why else would he still be following him after all of these years. Texting him, meeting him, still looking for validation. "I care about you because... it would be weird if I didn't." After all of those years, he couldn't just forget it. He knew about Barty's childhood, had heard him scream at night, and he knew it wasn't Barty's fault that he had no morality. It also wasn't his job to give him any.

"I miss when you didn't scare me. When you didn't play with my head, like you started to do. I just don't get why you couldn't let me do what I want if you loved me so much." Something as simple as letting him cut his hair, listen to his music or watch football - was that really so bad? "If you love someone, you tolerate the parts you don't like."